KUALA LUMPUR, 2nd October, 2026 (WAM) -- The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Medical Committee on Friday recommended the Vietnam Football Federation as host association for the AFC Medical Conference in 2027 and approved new heading and safety guidelines for children’s football.
The recommendation would bring the conference to Vietnam for the first time, with Hanoi proposed as the host city for its ninth edition. The eighth edition, recently held in Kuala Lumpur, drew record attendance of more than 800 international sports medicine professionals.
The 2027 conference will bring together experts to discuss athlete welfare and mark more than 30 years of scientific exchange and collaboration in athlete care across Asia.
The Committee also confirmed the Sejong Sports Medicine and Performance Centre as an AFC Medical Centre of Excellence, the first facility in the Republic of Korea to receive the recognition.
It also approved the formation of an AFC Extreme Conditions Advisory Expert Panel to reassess protocols for safe participation in extreme temperatures and air pollution.
The Committee further approved the ‘Heading and Safety Guidelines in Children’s Football’, following a proposal by the AFC Technical Committee at its fourth meeting last month that called for validation by medical experts before implementation.